How Ryan Poles Just Altered Season Expectations With An Ozzy Trapilo Bombshell

The Chicago Bears braced themselves for a rough situation going into 2026. They thought they had left tackle nailed down last season as 2nd round pick Ozzy Trapilo rounded into form. Then he tore his patellar tendon in the wild card win over Green Bay. That meant he could miss up to a year recovering from such an injury. Team brass admitted there was a possibility he might not play this season at all. That is why they invested in bringing back Braxton Jones and adding former 1st round pick Jedrick Wills. Both have starting experience and are at least credible when healthy. People were prepared not to hear Trapilo’s name for a while. Then general manager Ryan Poles upended everything.

There were indications over the past couple of weeks that the big left tackle’s recovery was going well. A video surfaced of him working out at Halas Hall. He wasn’t wearing any kind of brace on his knee. Did this mean the rehab was working? Poles fanned those flames during an interview with Hoge & Jahns. He stated that the team has discussed the possibility that Trapilo could return towards the end of training camp, putting him far ahead of schedule for even the most optimistic prognosis.

Ryan Poles understands the risks involved with such a decision.

While it may look like Trapilo is recovering ahead of schedule, the team still has a responsibility to protect the players from themselves. Do not let them return until you’re as certain as possible that they won’t re-injure themselves. They took such precautions last year with Jaylon Johnson and Austin Booker. The issue with Trapilo is timing. Once a season begins, the Bears won’t have many padded practices because they will be trying to keep the wear and tear on players to a minimum between games. Yet without padded practices, Trapilo won’t be able to get up to speed quickly enough to play anytime soon.

That is why Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson are considering a return at the end of camp. It would at least give the left tackle some padded practices to start preparing his body for the season and knocking off the rust from all the missed time. This doesn’t mean he would start the opener against the Carolina Panthers. It is more about ensuring he is as well-prepared for a return as humanly possible. Everything depends on how the knee looks and feels over the next two weeks. If the doctors don’t see any red flags and Trapilo isn’t feeling pain, the Bears may decide to risk it.

Expectations on offense are starting to rise.

Granted, they were already high with the continued ascents of Caleb Williams, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden. The big key was whether they could get the left tackle situation figured out. When Trapilo was healthy down the stretch last season, the Bears had some of their best performances. They hung 31 on Pittsburgh, ran for over 280 yards in Philadelphia, put up 31 on a good Browns defense, and 38 in San Francisco. Then they erased a 21-point lead in the playoffs to beat Green Bay. Trapilo’s play was a major part of that success. If he can regain that form upon returning, this team should be even better.